September 27, 2026 - Sacramento, Calif. – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., has announced that the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on September 25, 2026.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent(s) and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of deadlines to the proponent(s) and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

EXEMPTS ADDITIONAL FOOD PRODUCTS FROM STATE AND LOCAL SALES TAXES. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Currently, most groceries and unheated food and beverages sold to go are exempt from state and local sales taxes, while restaurant meals, hot prepared food, and certain other food and beverage sales are taxed. This measure would (1) exempt from state and local taxes all food and nonalcoholic beverages regardless of how it is prepared, sold, delivered, or consumed; and (2) reduce revenues for government services by repealing existing taxes on food and beverages. Does not apply to alcohol, and nicotine, tobacco, or cannabis food products. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: State and local revenue loss, likely between $10 billion and $15 billion per year. (26-0005.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 2023 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 26-0005.

The proponent of the measure, John Pimentel, must collect signatures of 874,641 registered voters (eight percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than March 24, 2027. The address for the proponent is 20 Park Road, Burlingame, CA 94010. The proponent may also be contacted at (650) 269-8933 and John@JohnPimentel.com.

Source: CA. SoS